Trump, Abe toast 'bromance' as two-day summit wraps up

Every American president has a favorite foreign leader.

Obama's were all from the middle east

"America First" rhetoric

If Abe said Japan first would it be defined as rhetoric? Why when an American leader says it suddenly its negative?

Brothers-in-arms-sales. How much is Japan paying US war industries for their 'goods' and services? Pretty sorry statement about what the US has to offer the world.

"When you play golf not just once but two times, the person must be your favorite guy,"

Abe, where and when did you learn this ? I never read it from any books, couldn't find it from any laws, and it is Newtonian principle either.

Abe would say anything to fool Japanese people.

Anybody else feeling nauseous? Not even a little...?

If you want to know what Abe thinks about Trump's intellect then consider that he plans on entertaining Trump with a song that is designed for children younger than Sesame Street age.

Over the long term, Shinzo Abe will regret embracing Trump so tightly. Entertaining the big baby and calling him a "such a big boy" won't do much for his national interest because the fool has the memory of a goldfish. However, his own people will remember and eventually ridicule him for his obsequity.  

Leave Trump's little hands to the likes of Putin and Duterte to hold.

@Geoff - not really....now if I had to sit next to Piko Taro it would be a bit hard to keep the meal down

Every American president has a favorite foreign leader. For Donald Trump, it seems to be Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Putin and Duterte must be feeling like neglected housewives.

If you want to know what Abe thinks about Trump's intellect then consider that he plans on entertaining Trump with a song that is designed for children younger than Sesame Street age.

Well, consider their caps:

"Donald & Shinzo, Make alliance even greater."

Reads right out of a Sesame street program.

Anybody else feeling nauseous? Not even a little...?

I'd raise my hand if it wasn't cupping my mouth...

now if I had to sit next to Piko Taro

I just wouldn't. Simple as that.

And Abe gave presidential daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump a set of face brushes.

Is he trying to tell her something...?

One could only imagine the hand holding and excessive touching that those two engaged in behind the scenes!

I think Abe is the only foreign leader to suck up to the Donald to the extent of absurdity. Donald ate it up because he cannot tell the difference between flattery and belittling, although I think Abe really meant it. Poor Japanese citizens to have their money squandered on buying more arms, let alone altering their Constitution to do so. BTW did Donald ride on an Osprey when flying from Yokota to Kawagoe? I hope reality sets in when he visits China.

Good on Abe for playing Trump so thoroughly. Trump has eaten it all up hook, line and sinker. This is just good pragmatic diplomacy and I’m glad he has done it for the benefit of Japan.

This has guaranteed Japan’s defense in a time of heightened global tension, and if he can get some concessions on trade, it could go down as a massive diplomatic victory.

His bromance with Modi of India as well is quite amazing

See that is the problem, "cracaphat". He will not say no to what he and his militant Japanese oldmen club want. He wanted to get his hands on arms, FOR THE SAKE OF PEACEFUL EXISTENCE AND DEFENSE ONLY, and it proceded as planned. A peace bringing gendarme America, who recently sold Saudi several billions $ worth of arms (...), is trying to "defend freedom together" with Abe by arming him with offensive weaponry which no decent nation needs, ever. My only hope seems to be that people serving in JSDF do not go full retarded and refuse to transformate into IJOF.

Out of interest, does Abe speak English well or do they communicate through interpreters?

I think, in this case, cultural differences make it easier for Abe & Japan to tolerate or even 'like' Trump i.e they don't really get him and/or simply accept/think he's just different. For most euros and also many Americans/Canadians, Trump's a lunatic. Not in Japan though, here he's just a gaijin version of their own loud mouth, weird, over assertive ojiisan and J ppl know how to handle these types i.e bow, let them talk, make them feel you need their advice etc.

Weird gaijins always feel welcome in Japan, nothing new here.

Good on Abe for playing Trump so thoroughly. 

if you call groveling for business like a lap dog as playing someone then, ok....

Thanks for reporting on the close working relationship between Trump and Abe. But "Bromance"? Strange term for a prestigious news outlet. Apparently also used by Reuters, but not the NYT. It does exude a tone of disdain more attuned with an opposing opinion editorial.

What was the term used to describe Abe and Obama? "Frosty"?

here he's just a gaijin version of their own loud mouth, weird, over assertive ojiisan and J ppl know how to handle these types i.e bow, let them talk, make them feel you need their advice etc.

You're quite right. Flatter their ego, shower them with gaudy gifts, bow, scrape and obsequify; that's the excat way to deal with the likes of Trump. They've fawned all over him and his family and he's gone away thinking Japan loves him. Sadly, he's going to get a dose of reality during the rest of his trip.

Hey we got Dumb and Dumber? Question is , who will be dumbest?

The Japanese are very smart negotiators. Be incredibly friendly, cater to all their guest's needs, be humble and thank them profusely. Then get all of our technology and military secrets all under the guise of protecting the their homeland and maintaining Japanese sovereignty. Then secretly study it, steal the technology and make it better as it will apply to Japanese society. They've been doing it for years.

I wonder if Mr. 45 realizes that when Japanese people say "yes" that they are acknowledging what you are saying, and NOT necessarily agreeing with you.

That most likely doesn't apply in this instance.

Abe: Your hands so big, mine so small, so small.

Trump: I applaud your honesty. It's indeed yuge, thank you. We will be back soon.

Hey we got Dumb and Dumber? Question is , who will be dumbest?

The people who voted for them?

No surprises here, really. Both born with silver spoons in their mouths, both displaying a "born to rule" personality - and both having a penchant for golfing at clubs that have to be forced to accept females.

Peas in a pod.

Actually, the Prime Minister of Japan who had the last laugh was Koizumi, not only because he was both invited to the White House and Graceland, but because Graceland is the home of the individual personally most responsible for the construction of precisely the only monument honoring the 1,177 sailors killed by the japanese Air Force on August 7, 1944. That person, Elvis Presley who was 9 years old during the attack, absorbed HIMSELF about 17% of the cost of the construction, and he did so in 1961, when the Pacific Commission had almost lost all hope of launching its construction.